PR Week (UK) articles from May 2007

PR Week (UK) archives from May 2007

Good Relations hit by mass exit.(Good Relations Group PLC)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Good Relations, one of the PR industry's oldest brands, has been rocked by the sudden departure of nearly a quarter of its staff. PRWeek has learned that all but one of the agency's property and planning division resigned en masse last...

Brunswick called in to handle Browne crisis.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... BP's embattled former chief executive Lord Browne has turned to Brunswick founder and chairman Alan Parker for personal PR support. The oil company head - who was forced to quit the company on Tuesday when it emerged that he had lied in...

Mail fights for readers' image.(Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday are touring the UK's PR agencies in an attempt to change the industry's perception of its readers and attract more advertorials. Marketing chiefs at both papers want to move away from the association...

Tulchan wins brief to turn around ITV fortunes.
May 4, 2007... ITV has selected an agency for the daunting task of turning around its fortunes in the City. The ailing broadcaster has handed the brief to Tulchan Communications, following a heavyweight pitch which featured Brunswick, FD and 14-year...

Whitehall hotshot Grant wins top Defra media job.(appointment of Rachel Grant at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The government department responsible for environmental policy has secured one of Whitehall's rising stars to head its media operation. Rachel Grant is to join the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) after just...

Coca-Cola awards THC coveted corporate brief.
May 4, 2007... Trimedia Harrison Cowley (THC) has emerged triumphant in the tussle for Coca-Cola's much-coveted corporate account, believed to be worth around pounds 300,000. The UK brief for Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) and the Coca-Cola Company includes...

Former Thai PM turns to Holborn.(Holborn PR)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed prime minister of Thailand, is using Holborn PR for a pounds 100m approach of Manchester City FC. Holborn has a history of working on football takeovers, having advised on deals for Manchester United,...

BBQ Association releases H&K after three months.
May 4, 2007... The National BBQ Association and Hill & Knowlton have parted ways after just three months. H&K secured the consumer brief earlier this year (PRWeek, 14 March) but last week cut ties with the organisation. Storm Communications, which...

Harry wins public over on Iraq tour.(Prince Harry)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Press reports criticising Prince Harry's decision to serve in Iraq have not rung true with the British public, according to a PRWeek poll released today. Despite concerns for his safety, fears for the wellbeing of those serving with him...

Lexis wins EDF Energy brief to replace Shine.
May 4, 2007... Shine Communications has lost a flagship pounds 500,000 account with EDF Energy. The consumer and sports sponsorship PR account has gone to Lexis PR following an eight-way pitch, in which Shine took part. Shine held the account for three...

Bird hires Primal for London vote.
May 4, 2007... London Mayor hopeful and Big Issue founder John Bird has brought in Primal PR to try to raise his profile with Londoners. Bird this week announced that he would be standing as an independent in the 2008 elections. The PR brief will...

Making a splash.
May 4, 2007... The Amateur Swimming Association and British Swimming are stepping up their efforts to promote the sport in the UK. The two bodies have brought in Vero to overcome the relatively low profile of the sport. The agency's CEO Mike Lee, who leads...

News Brief: Sports Direct search.
May 4, 2007... CITY: Sports Direct is sounding out Bell Pottinger, Finsbury and Citigate Dewe Rogerson in its search for a retained City agency. The firm dropped Tulchan soon after its float earlier this year

News Brief: Hanover agency.
May 4, 2007... AGENCY: Media Strategy, the agency set up by John Major's former press secretary Charles Lewington, has changed its name to Hanover. The rebrand is part of a five-year plan to become a top 30 UK consultancy

News Brief: RMS PR wins account.
May 4, 2007... CONSUMER: RMS PR has beaten four agencies to win an account with the country's first consumer gambling show, The UK Bet Show, to take place at the Birmingham NEC in September

News Brief: Barabino UK office.
May 4, 2007... AGENCY: Italian comms agency Barabino and Partners has opened its first UK office. The Mayfair office will focus on Italian listed companies

News Brief: ING Media appoints.
May 4, 2007... CORPORATE: Former FreemantleMedia head of corporate communications Debra Johnson has joined ING Media as associate director

News Brief: Storm wins account.
May 4, 2007... CONSUMER: Storm Communications has won an account to promote the London Food Festival, a new festival run by Dew Events, on 7-9 September

News Brief: Bottle PR appointed.
May 4, 2007... CRISIS: Express package delivery service Mail Boxes Etc has appointed Oxfordshire-based Bottle PR. It will increase brand awareness and handle crisis communications

News Brief: Lucre lands brief.
May 4, 2007... CONSUMER: Lucre has landed a brief with Baco Consumer Products, the company behind BacoFoil. The agency will publicise the Baco Rainbow product range for children

News Brief: Centro-WMPTA appoints.
May 4, 2007... CORPORATE: Regional transport body Centro-WMPTA has appointed Steve Swingler as media manager. He is currently news editor at the Birmingham Mail

News Brief: Project appoints.
May 4, 2007... AGENCY: Jonathan Horsman has been appointed to the board of strategic and crisis communications consultancy Project Associates. He is a former head of public affairs at Provident Financial

News Brief: Tribal CEO to step down.
May 4, 2007... CORPORATE: The CEO of Geronimo Communications' parent company The Tribal Group, Henry Pitman, is to step down on 4 June. Executive director Peter Martin will succeed him

JCPR and Shine win drinks briefs.
May 4, 2007... Two huge Barcardi-Martini briefs have been split between consumer rivals JCPR and Shine. JCPR has picked up the account for gin brand Bombay Sapphire, while Bacardi rum has gone to Shine. The gin brief was won after a ten-way pitch. In...

Brighter Group fills MD position.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Travel specialist The Brighter Group has hired former Fleishman-Hillard board director Matt Fearnley as MD. The hire will see current MD Steve Dunne taking a back seat from the day-to-day running of the 18-strong business, with the title...

Website to offer 'right-to-reply service' for PROs.(Website overview)
May 4, 2007... A service aiming to give PROs the right to reply to 'misrepresenting' articles in the media was launched this week. Newscounter, which is billing itself as an 'impartial right-to-reply service', can be found at www.newscounter.com. ...

Singapore hunts agency to lure hospital patients.
May 4, 2007... The Singapore Tourism Board is searching for agency backing for a campaign to attract more medical patients to its shores. Eight agencies are lined up to contest a brief split into four areas - one of which is to drive up the number of...

InterContinental lures lastminute.com's Williams.(appointment of Claire Williams)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... InterContinental Hotels Group has lured lastminute.com's top communicator Claire Williams. She joins the hotel giant as director of external comms, leading global corporate strategy across the various brands and regions. Her remit includes...

Ex-DfES comms boss in CSR move.
May 4, 2007... The former head of comms at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has joined CSR comms specialist Corporate Culture. Richard Graham has taken the role of director of comms and client services at the agency, reporting to chief...

College Hill buys Stonehenge PR.(acquisitions)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... College Hill has swooped for its second PR agency in three months, acquiring five-year-old City agency Stonehenge PR. The resurgent College Hill is effectively buying the expertise of the two agency heads in a deal which will see founders...

CBBC goes shopping for new agency perspective.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... CBBC, the children's programming arm of the BBC, is on the hunt for an agency to 'get a fresh perspective on the brand'. The brief includes general CBBC offerings, such as scheduled slots on BBC2. It also covers the BBC's digital channel...

GH wins fruit brief on 'X Factor' pitch.(Golin Harris )(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Golin Harris has picked up a massive global account for Florida's grapefruit and oranges after an unusual public pitch. Golin Harris won the account after a competitive four-way pitch which saw all four agencies pitch in front of each other...

Public Sector: Councils walk into electoral rat trap.
May 4, 2007... Bubonic plague is not a reputational threat that's often a problem in modern Britain, but it is an element in the current 'bin wars' debate. The claim that the rat population has surged by 70 per cent has been cited as part of the evidence...

Public Sector: Verve's Langham lands top Ofsted corporate job.
May 4, 2007... Lorraine Langham is to quit Verve Communications to take a board-level role at the Government's schools inspectorate. Langham, Verve's MD and co-founder, will join Ofsted in the role of director of corporate services, which has a remit for...

Public Sector: Camargue bags housing account.
May 4, 2007... The Government has hired Camargue to launch and promote an affordable housing advisory service. The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit is using Camargue for media and events, including an official launch in June. The body,...

Public Sector: Tribal takes Geronimo work.
May 4, 2007... Geronimo Communications has shifted its interim council PR function to its parent company, following the exit of Gez Sagar. Sagar, the former press secretary to John Prescott, has quit as director of interim management nine months after...

Voluntary Sector: Raleigh gears up for anniversary.(Raleigh International appointed Teresa Fitzgerald)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Raleigh International has appointed a fundraising development manager to the newly created role of head of fundraising and comms. The charity has brought in Teresa Fitzgerald, who previously spent four years at Richard House Children's...

Voluntary Sector: Victim Support cuts jobs to fund external PR help.
May 4, 2007... Victim Support is to shed five jobs in its comms department, leaving it with a total headcount of six. The first two posts will be phased out by July, with the final three expected to go by October. The slimmed down comms team will also...

Voluntary Sector: Raising profile of recycling grants.(contracts of Waste Recycling Environmental Limited and Hare Carding)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... A body which distributes pounds 15m of recycling grants each year has brought in agency support to boost its profile. Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN) will use Hare Carding to raise awareness of the grants. The agency will initially...

Voluntary Sector: Darfur begs understanding as well as a monetary response.
May 4, 2007... Leigh Daynes gives a frontline account of how the British Red Cross is conveying the horror in Sudan's Darfur. Last week, we launched an urgent appeal for Darfur, following the growing number of displaced people in remote camps in Western...

Public Affairs: Decision pending on probe into lobbying practice.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... The chairman of the Public Administration Committee will decide over the next few weeks whether there will be a parliamentary investigation into lobbying practices before the end of 2007. 'It's certainly one of the things we're considering...

Public Affairs: Bircham Dyson snatches Davies.(appointment of Matthew Davies)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Law firm Bircham Dyson Bell has poached Global Government Relations director Matthew Davies to be its public affairs consultant. Davies has been at Global Government Relations, part of law firm DLA Piper, for seven years, rising to the...

Public Affairs: B-M hires Underground chief for lobbying arm.(Burson-Marsteller)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Burson-Marsteller has turned to a London Underground comms chief to drive forward its faltering lobbying practice. The WPP firm has appointed George Hutchinson as chair of its UK public affairs division. Hutchinson is currently director of...

Public Affairs: Zambia selects DLA Piper for corruption clean-up.
May 4, 2007... Zambia has called in lobbyists to deal with the fallout from a major anti-corruption drive. The nation wants to convince MPs and the public that it has cleaned up its political culture. It is using Global Government Relations, the...

Public Affairs: Cameron warned over PA strategy.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... A leading public affairs professional has warned that Conservative leader David Cameron's PR strategy looks 'unsettlingly unfinished'. Kevin Bell, regional president for the UK, Africa and the Middle East at Fleishman-Hillard, makes the...

Healthcare: Ketchum beats rivals to Tamiflu account.
May 4, 2007... Ketchum has landed a global account for Tamiflu, the drug viewed as the best weapon currently available against a flu pandemic. The agency pitched against a number of rivals in order to win the account with Roche. It is a mix of corporate,...

Healthcare: Clew snaps up key health briefs.
May 4, 2007... Clew Communications, the specialist healthcare shop run by former Guardian journalist Chris Mihill, has scooped three accounts - including one with Novartis for its new osteoporosis drug Aclasta. The agency will handle pre-launch and launch...

Healthcare: Crathorne joins H&K med ed arm.(appointment of Louise Crathorne)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Hill & Knowlton med ed arm Medical Knowledge Group has hired Louise Crathorne as a PR account manager, as it continues to build a new PR-focused comms team. Crathorne will work on mental health and cardiovascular projects. She had been...

Healthcare: Taylor moves up Novartis ladder.
May 4, 2007... Jo Taylor has taken over as head of comms and public affairs at Novartis UK's vaccines division. The business was acquired from US manufacturer Chiron a year ago. The head of comms and public affairs post has been empty since the...

Healthcare: At a Glance - PR campaign highlights child liver disease plight.
May 4, 2007... - So, this is about raising awareness? Yes, the Children's Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) is to launch a comms campaign in the next couple of months to encourage the early identification of liver problems in babies. Conditions can be...

City & Corporate: FD and Brunswick take sides in Mothercare deal.(Chelsea Stores Holdings)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Brunswick and FD are working on either side of a deal that would see two of the UK high street's baby and childcare giants unite. Babycare retailer Mothercare has inked a deal with Chelsea Stores Holdings that could lead to the purchase of...

City & Corporate: Market Wizards calls Kinlan.
May 4, 2007... The Market Wizards fund, run by US hedge fund celebrity Jack Schwager, has brought in City agency Kinlan Communications for a pounds 200m London IPO. The Market Wizards brief offers a particular PR challenge because it claims to be unique....

City & Corporate: Hargreaves hires FD for London IPO.
May 4, 2007... Hargreaves Lansdown is using FD for its pounds 650m-plus London IPO this week. FD is advising the firm in what will be one of the year's largest initial public offerings. Hargreaves Lansdown is the largest independent firm of its kind in...

City & Corporate: Small city shops should be valued.
May 4, 2007... There is probably more money in financial public relations now than there has ever been, but paradoxically it looks harder than ever to get started. There are some obvious successes from recent times - Tulchan, which is headed by Andrew...

Technology: Pleon secures Multimap brief.
May 4, 2007... Online map service Multimap has handed Pleon a multi-territory account to be headquartered out of London. The brief will focus initially on promoting Multimap's soon to be relaunched website to consumers. A date for the relaunch is yet to...

Technology: AOL in agency talks for Euro corporate account.
May 4, 2007... AOL Europe has held discussions with two UK-based PR shops as it mulls the hire of an agency for a pan-European corporate account. The agencies met with VP comms and branding AOL Europe Dorothee Burkel, and are expected to attend another...

Technology: Momentous wins Memset account.
May 4, 2007... Web hosting firm Memset has brought in Momentous PR to handle its UK account following a four-way pitch. The Surrey-based agency has a brief to target IT managers and businesses in general, and to position the company as an advocate of...

Technology: GCI lures Firefly's Ellis to associate director post.
May 4, 2007... GCI has poached Firefly Communications senior account director Suzanne Ellis for a newly created associate director role. Ellis spent four years at Firefly, where she reported to head of corporate Jon Holt in the agency's business...

Technology: Sonus to plug voice SMS service.
May 4, 2007... A voice SMS service that substitutes written text for voice recordings is to be targeted at countries with low literacy rates. Bubble Motion has brought in Sonus PR to advise on the BubbleTalk service, which covers Europe, Asia and North...

Technology: Visa buys Second Life island.
May 4, 2007... Visa Europe is the latest brand to buy land on online virtual world Second Life. The brand has created its own island and aims to consult visitors on how they would like it to look and what they would choose to do there, with one option being...

Media Relations: What the papers say - Alcohol Concern draws interest.
May 4, 2007... Charity and lobby group Alcohol Concern attracted attention for its 'A Glass Half Empty?' review of the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. But among a range of potential policies to curb childhood drinking, one suggestion drew...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.(Wall Street Journal appointed Emily Nelson )
May 4, 2007... PRESS The Wall Street Journal has appointed Emily Nelson as its London bureau chief. She was previously deputy bureau chief in London and succeeds Paul Beckett, who moved to New Delhi earlier this year to become chief of the Journal's...

Media Relations: 2 Minutes with... Scott Solder, programme director, LBC 97.3FM.
May 4, 2007... - LBC 97.3FM has undergone a rebrand. What has changed? Most speech-radio stations focus on current affairs and news, but we've moved away from this format to reflect the real conversations people have. Our talk is entertaining. - Tell...

Media Analysis: Why the new FT is like a good haircut.(Financial Times Ltd.)(Company overview)
May 4, 2007... The Financial Times has come out with a sharper and more contemporary look and style, writes Robert Gray. The subtle overhaul is 'like a good haircut: you don't really notice it, but it feels smarter,' says one observer. 'No FT, No...

Reputation Check: Poll shows public support for princes.
May 4, 2007... PRWeek looks at the images of princes William and Harry among both the media and the public. Hannah Marriott reports. What a difference a fortnight makes. Just last month Prince Harry's public reputation rested on his frequent appearances...

News Analysis: Just why we 'get along so awfully'.
May 4, 2007... Journalists and PR people have a long history of mutual antipathy. So how can the two sides achieve a better mix of harmony and understanding? It's rare that I get inspired by a Depeche Mode song. But this rare thing happened in the car...

Profile: Jade's antidote - Sean O'Brien, co-director, Austin O'Brien Communications.
May 4, 2007... Poisoned chalice would seem a good way to describe the latest brief for celebrity publicist Sean O'Brien. Jade Goody is the kind of potential client that would have most publicists running for the hills. But O'Brien, 38, who set up AOB...

Opinion: E-kisses reflect perception of frothiness.
May 4, 2007... Is it time for the kissing to stop? I pose the question because last week I received an email from a PR account manager who festooned her email signature with x's and was sent a similarly effusive one from a potential client I had also never...

Opinion: Under Brown, spin doctors like me are out.(Gordon Brown)
May 4, 2007... The local election results may be bad for Labour, but at least with Tony Blair departing soon we can get back to some normal politics. The last year or so has been anything but normal and that's all because the Prime Minister decided to...

Editorial: How it all went badly wrong for Browne.(Lord Browne)(Editorial)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Lord Browne of British Petroleum was a corporate PR icon, until 18 months ago at least. In PRWeek's recently published Power Book, many of the UK's top communicators cited Browne as their most admired businessman. He gained admiration for...

Opinion: Letter - Talent is the driving force in acquisitions.(Letter to the editor)
May 4, 2007... Your front page lead last week ('Smith exits Edelman as JCPR merger bites', 27 April) reveals why many companies acquire - for talent. The Edelman story shows how the management team of an acquired company end up playing a major role in the new...

Opinion: Letter - CofE PR team made a bad situation worse.
May 4, 2007... The Rev Pearl Luxon's defence of the Church of England's child protection policies on the Today programme last week was risible. A combination of poor media training, arrogance and corporate-speak has made a bad situation worse. Luxon...

Opinion: Letter - APPC code doesn't go far enough.(Letter to the editor)
May 4, 2007... So, the Association of Professional Political Consultants will press John Grogan MP to 'recognise the excellence of the current code' (PRWeek, 27 April). The code is a welcome step, but it is no panacea. It applies only to actions in the UK,...

Opinion: Letter - Surely Paul is hoping for bigger things?(Letter to the editor)
May 4, 2007... I was surprised at PRWeek's suggestion ('Blairites set for top comms roles', 20 April) that Hazel Blears' special adviser Paul Richards would be returning to local government comms after the Labour leadership election. As his current boss is a...

Opinion: ViewPoint - Jill Coomber, Founding partner, Chocolate Communications - Specialise in targeting different audiences.
May 4, 2007... Jill Coomber, founding partner at Chocolate Communications, argues that PR agencies need to up their game when it comes to targeting different audiences. In this week's video podcast - available at www.prweek.com - Coomber says: 'It's not...

Campaign: C&W fights for equal prizes on tennis court - Sport.
May 4, 2007... Campaign: Equal Prize Money for Women Tennis Players Client: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour PR Team: In-house and Cohn & Wolf Timescale: March 2006 to February 2007 Budget: Undisclosed Last March, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour approached Cohn...

Campaign: Spreckley drives T&H beyond B2B market - Consumer.
May 4, 2007... Campaign: Doodling campaign Client: Tollit & Harvey PRTeam: Spreckley Partners Timescale: January - March 2007 Budget: pounds 2,000 OBJECTIVES To promote the brand to a consumer market. To position the Europa brand as an...

Campaign: Surrey council works to reduce household waste - Public sector.
May 4, 2007... Campaign: Joint waste strategy Client: Surrey County Council PR team: In-house Timescale: January - November 2006 Budget: pounds 20,000 So last year the council pledged to reduce county waste, increase recycling to 60 per cent by...

Top 50 Consumer consultancies 2007.
May 4, 2007... Fee income for the top 50 consumer agencies broke through the pounds 100m barrier in 2006. Alex Black reports. The year 2006 was, by most accounts, a strong one for the consumer sector. Most of the agencies in PRWeek's Top 50 consumer...

Top 50 Consumer Consultancies 2007: Key players.(Survey)
May 4, 2007... Alex Black spoke to some of the movers and shakers in the Top 50 about their recipe for success. THE RED CONSULTANCY 3 - POUNDS 6,017,507 - Income growth 6% 'One thing that stood out about 2006 was how brave clients are getting,' says...

Diary: Let's meet at Suka, London.(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Reviewed by Jonathan Sloan, PR director at Hills Balfour Synergy. The bar at the Sanderson has always been a popular meeting point for media and PROs, and the addition of their new Malaysian restaurant, Suka, next to the bar offers another...

Diary: JDA PR resurrects Noel's nemesis.
May 4, 2007... We all hoped we'd seen the end of him, but a Leeds-based agency has seen fit to bring back Mr Blobby. JDA PR used the opening of The Car Shop Megastore to reunite the clumsy humanoid with his creator Noel Edmonds. According to the...

Diary: Hammersmith gets unusual addition.(Hammersmith Council)(Brief article)
May 4, 2007... Hammersmith Council's new head of comms will be in charge of the usual array of PROs - plus an 'advertising sponsorship manager'. It seems that the new post has been created to siphon cash from private investors in the form of advertising...

Diary: Check before you send your emails.
May 4, 2007... As a service to our readers, Diary would like to highlight the importance of double-checking the recipient's email address before sending an email. This week, we received an intriguing email from Cyprus-based Action Global Communications...